


Mahogany & Dragon Heartstring

by Kitsune_Kij



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hogwarts, Original Character(s), Quidditch, School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-06-03 21:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6627775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune_Kij/pseuds/Kitsune_Kij
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Mahogany & Dragon Heartstring: The Untold Hogwarts Tales of Nymphadora Tonks and Charlie Weasley.</i>
</p><p><span class="u">From Ollivander's works:</span><br/>Mahogany: Pliable, good for transfiguration, a good all-around wood<br/>Dragon Heartstring: A lot of magical heft, powerful, but definitely not subtle</p><p><span class="u">From Filch's files:</span><br/>Nymphadora Tonks: Hufflepuff. Fifth year. Troublemaker. Changes appearance, pain to track down.<br/>Charges on file: Skipping class (x11), impersonating a professor (x2), breaking and entering an office (x3), interloping between Houses (x15)<br/>Charles Septimus Weasley: Gryffindor. Fifth year. Prefect. Too much of a slacker for a prefect.<br/>Charges on file: Skipping class (x20), breaking and entering an office (x2)</p><p><span class="u">From Hogwarts rumors:</span><br/>Nymphadora Tonks and Charlie Weasley have been inseparable since their first year, despite being in two different houses. Their friendship may have began as baffling, but the years have made it as much a Hogwarts fixture as the giant squid in the lake. As they near their final years in Hogwarts, much will change, teenagers being teenagers. Their shenanigans, however, are guaranteed to keep everyone in Hogwarts entertained.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preface: Little Firsties

**Author's Note:**

> PART ONE: Fifth Year

"Hey, weasel! Look here, ginger git!"  
  
The newest Weasley at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry had barely started to turn when a particularly nasty Jelly Legs Jinx hit him square in the thighs. He collapsed instantly, grinding some grass stains into his already worn pants and landing freckled nose first in the dirt. He just grunted, propping himself up on arms that were impressively muscled for an eleven-year-old. Three boys surrounded him, watching him intently, their faces masked with sneers. Charlie just stared quietly at them, his own face impassive.  
  
Classes had barely begun, but apparently bullying was already in full swing.  
  
The quiet lingered, stretching uncomfortably close to awkwardness. The same voice from before broke the tension in the air. "I think this one's deaf and dumb, Horas."  
  
"Not surprising," said the boy at the head of the triangle. His wand was out, held confidently in his right hand. He stood casually, as if he had no cares, but the tip of the wand was trained on the redhead. While his two accomplices mirrored each other with pale skin, brown hair, and blunt noses, distinguished not by looks but house colors – blue and bronze on one, green and silver on the other – this boy stood apart. His dusky skin contrasted against his straw-colored hair, which fell perfectly into place but seems out of place on him. Unlike his victim's unruly mop of red hair, his bangs were brushed clear from his eyes, and he held Charlie's gaze for several more moments of uneasy silence.  
  
Then he smirked and knelt down, never breaking eye contact. "They are a bunch of in-bred blood traitors. They cannot produce anything of worth."  
  
Charlie had swallowed back his words at the first insult, enjoying the reaction to the quiet more than a comeback would have allowed. He had developed a strong filter for his words in a house full of brothers and teasing, But his family was close, and a jab at them sparked a fury that never ignited when he was insulted individually. He sprung up suddenly, like magic pouring from a broken wand, his legs never leaving the ground. He didn't need his legs or even his wand with the strength bundled up in his arms and torso. This Horas was too cocky and too close, and the little Weasley caught him by the collar and slammed him into the ground beside him, no magic required.  
  
The teen let out a wordless yelp, unable to hide his bafflement. He spat out dirt and a curse in his father's language, lifting his sharp face from the ground and twisting in an attempt to stand. "You thrice-blighted squib!"  
  
Charlie just slammed a large hand into the Ravenclaw's chest before he could rise, pinning him down again. Horas tried to look as though he still had control, but the majesty had flown from his angular face, his perfectly kept hair now in messy wisps. His twin fellows each took a step back from the chaotic foray. They knew many Gryffindors as fierce instigators, but this boy seemed even more unpredictable than the rest.  
  
"Why should I waste perfectly good magic on a prat like you?" The calm in the redhead's voice contrasted his sudden, brutal fighting style, and caused the pair to step back again. He raised an eyebrow, then let out a short bark of a laugh. "Merlin's shorts, you're a lot of cowards, you are."  
  
Horas, still dazed and now wheezing, spat at the boy. His pride more bruised than even his chest, his cheeks grew hot and he summoned a spite he had never needed before. He brought up his wand, jabbed it right into the insolent Gryffindor's ribs, and cried out in a voice he had not yet composed, " _Petrificus totalus_!"  
  
Arms seizing up with the rest of his body, the boy could no longer keep his older foe pinned. Horas rolled out from under him and surged to his feet with hardly a stumble, dusting off his robes. He held his head up high. His cheeks still burned, but his clear superiority put the cool look back in his eyes.  
  
"Even your scrawny brother can put up a better fight than you, squib," Horas sneered, wand trained right at the boy's dirtied, freckled face. "I never thought that even a blood traitor weasel would stoop to Muggle lows like that. Consider this your first real Hogwarts lesson." He drew in a breath, forcing concentration for his spell. He drew back the wand with a flourish. " _Conjunc_ -"  
  
"Professor!" one of the boys stammered. Horas stopped mid-jinx and snapped his head up. Sure enough, Professor McGonagall could be seen approaching from the lakeside. They didn't need points deducted only one week into the school year. Horas lowered his wand, then stashed it into his robes. "Don’t go squealing, weasel." His eyes, cold and narrowed, delivered the rest of the threat he didn't need to verbalize. In the next moment, the boys were briskly walking back to the castle.  
  
"Phew," exclaimed Professor McGonagall as she as she made it up the slope. The closer she got, the less she looked like herself, until a sprightly young girl with messy brown hair in what could hardly be called a bun stood over the prone boy. "Glad those blokes didn't stick around. Don't think I could've fooled them except from far off." She crouched down, leaning her face over his. "Wotcher," she said, flashing him a bright smile with one missing tooth. "You all right there? I mean, besides being jinxed and all. Don't think I can help that, sorry."  
  
"So'kay," Charlie replied, a laugh dancing from his throat. It was just as rough a noise as his short laugh before, but longer and lighter. "It's like taking a lay down in the sun. This thing's gotta wear off some time, yeah?"  
  
"I sure hope so." She rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, rocking forward on her toes. "Well, how abouts I keep you company until you can move. You don't seem real good at making friends."  
  
"Wasn't my fault," he protested. "He's in my big brother's year and they're always at each other's throats." He tried to shrug, but couldn't move that much yet. "But the company sounds great, lovely."  
  
A splash of pink colored her nose. "Big brother, huh? What's your name?"  
  
"You couldn't tell?" He laughed again. "I'm the newest Weasley in town. Charlie. My big brother is Bill, and we're going to have little brothers here soon," he explained in one breath. "You're Tonks, yeah? Nym--"  
  
"Just Tonks is fine," she interrupted quickly, pink turning to red. "That's what I'm getting everyone to call me."  
  
"I guess Nymphadora's a bit of a mouthful. But you stopped me at Nym, and that's pretty cute, yeah?"  
  
The rest of Tonks's face went red, and even her hair seemed tinted with the color. "I- cute? That is – I hate my full name – and that's not even the point – I-"  
  
This time Charlie interrupted her. "Aw, c'mon. You haven't gone around saving everyone already, have you? Can I get a special name for my special savior?" He paused, watching her face deepen in its new red color. He couldn't work out why; the name wasn't that bad! "You can give me any nickname you want in return. Promise."  
  
Tonks crossed her arms, looking for a moment like she might storm off and leave him lying there alone. She huffed, but then leaned back and sat down with a flutter of robes and clunk of her school bag. "Fine," she said, and let a smile overtake her face. "I'm gonna have to stick to you like Spello-tape to get a good one, aren't I?" 

Professor Trelawny would have been impressed with just how spot-on little Tonks's prediction of the future would be.


	2. Start of a Long Year

"You missed potions. Again."

Charlie cracked open an eye. A piercing ray of sun stung his face. He brought a hand up quickly, shading away the bright sun and somehow even brighter hair of Tonks. He didn't need to see her shocking new shade of pink to know who was nudging him awake.

"So'kay," he mumbled. He rolled to the side, hiding once more under the retreating shade. "Already know how to make a Mandrake Elixir. Trust me, Nym, a nap was a much better use of time."

Tonks dropped down to sit beside him against their favorite tree. She gave his freckled nose a tweak before dropping a corned beef sandwich on his chest. "Well, there's no good reason for you to be missing lunch now." She withdrew her own sandwich from her school bag.

Charlie grinned and sat bolt upright the moment the food thudded on his chest. "None at all!" He said around a mouthful of food. By the time Tonks had taken her second bite, Charlie was licking the crumbs off his thumb. "Have you got any mo-"

Tonks thrust a meat pasty into his hands in response. "Don't inhale this one. I can't fit a whole picnic in my-"

"Well, if you perform an Extension charm with a Red-"

"Chuck!" Tonks sighed in exasperation. "Lunch is still off limits for tutoring."

"Sorry." Charlie ducked his head, but still wore his warm grin. He put a large hand on her shoulder, pulling her in toward him. It was almost sweet – until the redhead moved his hand down to her wrist and lifted it up, leaning in and taking a bite of her sandwich. 

"Chuck, no!" Tonks yanked the sandwich away and huffed. But Charlie noted that she had addressed him warmly all the same, and she laughed despite the large chunk of sandwich missing. "This is the last time I bring you lunch. I'll let you sleep through it next time."

"You said that last Friday," Charlie said carelessly, returning to his own meat pasty. "We both know better, lovely."

"Mm-hmm." She leaned against him, feeling warmth seeping into her school robes. She returned to nibbling on her own sandwich, but now her gaze wandered. She hid a smile behind her sandwich when she noticed just how red his face was. He'd slept too long in the sun. He had always appeared tanner than his brothers, what with how clustered his freckles were, but the sun had legitimately tinted the pale skin beneath his freckles now, blending them together. He spent so much time outside – with or without her.

The without times were the worst for Tonks. Whether she had found herself stuck in detention or just forced away (she couldn't count the number of times she had been reprimanded for "spying" on Gryffindor's Quidditch practices). She wondered what new shade he'd be after this latest bout of sun cleared up.

As her mind wandered, skipping over all these thoughts, Charlie looked up, his blue eyes suddenly meeting hers. "Something the matter, Nym?" He asked. "Have I got some-"

"Yeah, just a little bit of something right there," Tonks said quickly, reaching up to wipe some imaginary crumbs from his chin. "Saving a snack for the Jarveys?"

"Hm. Might be a good idea," he replied without missing a beat. He shoved the rest of the pasty into his mouth, chewing without moving his gaze. In truth, he missed spending quite as much time outdoors with Tonks, too, and he knew it bothered both of them. Time just seemed to flee from him lately. He could never say no to exciting opportunities, like his recent taking on of a pack of Jarveys that Professor Kettleburn was training to hunt gnomes.

And Quidditch! The game was a siren to the boy. But Nym, she made it all much more fun. He wished she'd gotten onto her house's Quidditch team, though he did feel better knowing that she had both feet planted almost safely on the ground.

He worried, in brief moments like this one under their shade tree, that his getting so busy had led to Tonks getting into more trouble – or at least getting caught more often while getting into trouble. Their plans always seemed more fool-proof when done as a pair.

"Wanna come help me feed the little buggers before lunch is over?" He asked after a quiet moment – unnoticed by him and appreciated by Tonks, who was wondering if she could get the interesting shade of blue of his eyes as her hair color. "I need an assistant 'cause Ami's busy. I'll mention it to Professor Sprout in passing," he added with a wry grin. "You can finally earn back a few points to make up for all your fun."

"Ha!" Though her lips had begun to move, the outburst did not come from Tonks. Both grimaced at the familiar voice. "Thought I'd find a weasel or two out here."

"Get lost, Horas," Charlie said evenly. He leaned forward, planting a hand on the ground near Tonks, propped up defensively in front of her.

"Is that the advice you took from your pathetic little friend here? Why else would a new upstanding Prefect go and miss class?"

"Hey!" Tonks exclaimed, cheeks burning. "He didn't-"

"Her advice is to show up to class," Charlie said, free hand inches from his wand's handle. "Don’t you have your own classes to worry about? Or does this upstanding Prefect have free time because dad's gonna buy his passing N.E.W.T. grades, too?"

Horas laughed in retort, leaving no silence between the Weasley's words and his own response as he formed it. "An option I do not need and you do not have, given that yours scrapes by with dirt for a living."

Horas had long since learned that he could only get a rise from Charlie by insulting those close to him, never him directly. And he thrived on confrontation with the second-oldest Weasley. He had grown thicker-skinned from the younger boy, and he relished the practice. It would serve him well in the Ministry of Magic. Horas would never admit to learning anything from a boy two years his junior, but he had learned to keep his cheeks cool in the fact of conflict, learned to discover hidden weaknesses, and learned to keep a fast-paced repertoire going.

He still had plenty to learn.

Charlie responded evenly, voice hard but not the growl that indicated his true anger. "At least my father can afford his dignity. I'd rather have honor than a handful of galleons."

Tonks let out a sigh as Charlie's free hand moved away from his wand sheath, though the arm planted in front of her was still tense. She hated when he fought. "Chuck," she whispered, too soft for him to hear, praying he continued to calm down.

Horas scoffed. "Can't live off honor. It is cruel, really," he mused, taking a condescending tone that always crawled under Charlie's skin, "having so many children without being able to provide for them. How thoughtless."

Charlie began to reach for his wand again.

"Seven brats and hardly even half a living wage? That cannot be called love. It is foolish carelessness."

Charlie's hand wrapped around the wand's handle; his jaw clenched.

"William might have gotten some magic, but he squanders it. You fight like a squib. And little Percy's only good for target practice."

Charlie scrambled to his feet, wand out and trained on Horas, arm as steady as a golem even as his other hand shook with rage. "What've your lackeys been doing to my little brother?" He asked before Horas could continue with his tirade.

Tonks made it to her feet only a moment behind Charlie's action. She shadowed him perfectly, her wand also in hand and her mind also reeling with thoughts for little Percy's well-being. "Chuck, stop," she whispered from his side, and his arm visibly relaxed. "You know you're playing right into-"

"Tsk." Horas slid his hand up his robe sleeve, obviously grabbing his wand, but he did not draw it yet. "She has you trained like a pathetic dog, Weasley. And imagine, a pureblood taking orders from a dirty half-blood."

Charlie let out a growl, the vibration in his throat almost more audible than the actual sound. He stomped forward a step, wand still poised, but his other hand drew back in a fist. It trembled, cocked back; he wanted still to warn more than attack, for Tonks's sake – and _not_ because she had him "trained."

"I know why you cling to it, though," Horas continued, cutting off a squeak of argument from Tonks, "this adoration from the half-blood. Your parents can't have spent much time paying you any mind with so many mistakes to manage," he said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Any scrap of love must be more than-"

Charlie's fist silenced Horas, slamming into his mouth.

Horas had too much pride to cry out, but even he couldn't keep his chin up after the sucker punch. He lost his feet beneath him, crumpled up on the ground, and held a hand over his bleeding mouth. His other hand was still up his sleeve, wand still grasped, but he was too fazed to draw it.

Charlie's wand hit the ground, sending off a jet of red light that scorched his favorite shade tree. He didn't care, and his ears burned too much to hear Tonks yelling his name. He didn't see her grab his wand, clutching it until it stopped spewing forth magic. He saw nothing but Horas on the ground. He felt no pride in seeing the blood well up from the older boy's split lip, but he kept his chin tilted up. "You talk too much."

"Barbaric squib," Horas spat, blood flecking the grass. The physical pain wasn't quite like the vibrating, tingling pain of a spell, but after several fights with this Weasley, he had grown used to the sensation. He struggled to stand, but only managed to sit up, finally tearing his wand out of his sleeve.

Charlie wasn't about to give Horas a chance to retaliate. He lunged, eyes focused on the wand. He didn't need a disarming spell. He had quite forgotten he still didn't have his wand.

"That's _enough_!" Tonks grabbed Charlie from behind. Both her wand and his jabbed into his chest as she did. Though she didn't have the strength to stop him, the surprise and sudden weight changed his lunge into a crash to the ground. Horas's spell sailed over them both, the incantation silent.

"You're both idiots!" she screamed, as pink in the face as she was in the hair. Tangled up with Charlie, she lifted both wands to point at Horas. "I don't know what will happen if I try a spell with both wands, Horas, but I don't think you'd quite like it. Let's call this one a draw-"

"Nym!"

"Half-!"

"- _okay_?" She refused to be interrupted. "Run along before I report both of you to Professor Dumbledore."

Both boys say staring at each other, seething. Both were a right mess. Anchored down by his best friend, Charlie couldn't rise first. Horas got to his feet, but pointed his wand down. After another tense moment, he shoved his wand back into his sleeve. "Professor Flitwick shall get the report first." He turned in a sharp movement and marched back to the castle, his robes billowing despite the still air.

Tonks let out a long sigh. She relaized then just how tightly she was holding Charlie, and her cheeks went from pink to red. With a bit of unwillingness, she let go of him, finding her own feet and pushing him forward, giving herself the momentum to stand. "It's too early in the year for this nonsense, Chuck," she scolded.

Charlie let out an even longer sigh. Instead of standing, he dropped backward, staring up at the sky and feeling the warm grass through his robes. "It's his last year. He's going to be relent-"

"He's not the one who started the fight. You-"

"Didn't start the fight?" Charlie sat up with a speed Tonks rarely saw outside the Quidditch pitch. "Weren't you listening?"

"He spouts off his nonsense all the time. Trust me, I've gotten good at expecting the end of term duel between you blokes. But this? We're barely three weeks into the year."

Charlie ran a hand over his face, flopping back once again. "S'gonna be a long year."

"At least the twins aren't starting 'til next year. _That_ will be a long year." Tonks's cheeks had finally eased to a more natural color, and she wore a smile again. She grabbed one of Charlie's large hands in both of hers, tugging up. "C'mon, you're not allowed to sulk, not on my watch. Weren't we going to go feed those little jerks? You owe me a word of praise to Sprout even more now and I've gotta earn it in a way that doesn't get you in trouble."

Charlie couldn't keep frowning, not around her when she beamed at him like that."Yeah, yeah, okay, lovely." He pulled himself to his feet during one of her tugs, and the two stumbled forward a couple of steps together. He took the moment to drape his arm around her. "Let's go. Jarveys at least have more wit than old Horas."


	3. Swear By It

The Jarveys certainly had a more colorful dialog than Horas did. The long-bodied creatures swarmed around their paddock as Charlie and Tonks approached, chattering in bursts of swears and slang. Charlie grinned, clicking his tongue and swearing in kind, eliciting a gasp from Tonks.

Charlie gave her an apologetic shrug. "You gotta talk to them in kind, or the buggers don't listen at all. I mean, they don't listen much as is."

"And Professor Kettleburn sounds the same trying to work with them?"

"Ami's actually the best at it."

"No!" Tonks couldn't imagine Charlie's housemate swearing.

"Sure. Half the group came from her parents' farm. As long as she's been there, she's been learning to get them to listen."

"And you _have_ to talk like that to get them to listen?"

"It takes a bit of time, but yeah," Charlie said. "Here, watch." He clicked again, then strung together an interesting recital of swears, one of which Tonks had never heard and which, as a whole, would have insulted an entire class of students and at least a dozen different species.

The Jarveys stopped bounding around and stood as if mesmerized, staring at Charlie. When he concluded his long and winding sentence, they all wagged their tails in unison. Charlie raised a fist and blew a raspberry, sounding not unlike Peeves, and moved his fist around. The Jarveys all followed with their eyes and heads, bobbing like charmed snakes.

Then Charlie opened his hand and laughed, breaking the charm. The creatures began pouncing once more, chattering swears that echoed Charlie's. He glanced to Tonks. "Wanna try?"

Tonks couldn't say no to his daring grin, and she stepped forward. She squared her shoulders and rocked up on her tip-toes, figuring she might as well try to look bigger. "Merlin's left sock you bloody wa-"

Her attempt was quickly drowned out by a barrage of insults, each Jarvey trying to talk over the other. She went pink in the face as they managed some very creative combinations of words Charlie had used and many he had not. "Chuck!"

Her scolding yell stopped Charlie's laughter. He took her by the elbow and stepped back several paces with her. "I said it takes a bit of time."

"You could've given me a little more warning about-"

"Now where's the fun in that?" Charlie asked, voice still warm with laughter. "You get this full experience this-"

"That is not a full experience I need, thank you!"

Charlie had no interruption, just a grin. "It takes at least a week or so to assert dominance. But it's a fantastic way of letting off steam." He stretched, taking his hand away from Tonks. "I imagine I'll be venting a lot to them about Horas. They don't seem to ever remember names, just awful oaths."

"Did they learn them all from you?"

"A bit from Ami, a bit from Professor Kettleburn, a bit from me. But I swear I've learned more from them than they've learned from me."

Tonks raised a pink eyebrow. "That's terrifying, Chuck."

He laughed. "They're pesky buggers, for sure, but they'll be worth it. No better gnomer than a Jarvey. Professor Kettleburn's excited to work with them, but I think he's upset that he can't work them into the general curriculum."

"No?"

"Can you imagine them mouthing off to someone like Ophion? He'd go straight to his sister and petition the Ministry of Magic to suspend Kettleburn." Charlie shook his head. "Kettleburn's got to be careful with these. Besides, he doesn't need another suspension already."

"What's Hagrid think of them?"

Charlie laughed again. "They aren't dangerous enough for him! But he didn't have to work hard to assert himself over them."

"Well, they're plenty noisy. Do you have food for them?" She glanced down to a battered watch strapped around her left wrist. "We don't want to be late for Herbology. I'm not covering for you again, and neither are any of your housemates."

"Hey, I like Professor Sprout! She doesn't make us feel like we're hopeless idiots."

"Hasn't stopped you from missing her class be-"

"Just one time, Nym!" Charlie protested.

"You said that the first three times you missed Potions."

Charlie sighed. He despised Potions, despite his knack for them. It frustrated Tonks to no end that he seemed to have a knack for most everything at school. He was smart enough for every class – but rather selective about which classes he put effort into.

Potions sat at the bottom of that list.

Tonks punched his shoulder. "I get it. At least next year you don't even have to take Potions."

"Hopefully."

"I thought you made up your mind about playing Quidditch!"

Charlie did not respond right away. The silence felt strange to both of them given how often their conversations overlapped in a medley of their voices. He walked to a wicker bin several feet away, busying himself with the feed.

"Chuck, you don't get to play the silent game with me," Tonks said, crossing her arms. "When exactly were you gonna tell me you were changing your mind?" Her voice was rising, catching the attention of the Jarveys.

"When I got over catching up with you. I bloody missed you this summer," he replied, scooping out a strange concoction of shredded potatoes and ground meat. "I wasn't sure. I'm still not sure. But I helped out Ami's folks a bit this summer, and I've been working with the Jarveys, and Kettleburn has been letting me borrow books about all sorts of creatures, and Hagrid's been talking about dragons again, and-"

"Okay, okay, I get it. They all got you thinking about your wild side again." Tonks walked over, throwing her arms around him in a tight, brief hug. "Promise I'm not mad." She planted her hands on her hips and went up on her tip-toes, scowling. "But you promise not to wait so long to tell me something like that!"

Her fear that they would start growing further apart went unsaid, but her cheeks reddened as she thought it.

"Promise." He glanced over at the Jarveys. "And swear."

Tonks groaned.

He handed her a bowl full of the Jarveys' feed, then scooped out another one for himself. "We'll make a wrangler out of you yet. Do what I do on the other side of their cage."

Tonks was glad to be busy, and Charlie was glad to have more time to think about how to put his thoughts about the future into words for his best friend.

Both of them forgot to hurry to Herbology.

*****

One bright side of not being a Prefect was not having to deal with lectures about responsibilities and role models. Tonks had surreptitiously paced the corridors as near to Dumbledore's office as she dared, waiting patiently for Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall to be done chewing out Charlie.

She wasn't inconspicuous enough, apparently, because she suddenly heard a low, oily voice, though she had not heard any footsteps approach. "Have you business with the headmaster, Miss Tonks?"

Tonks whirled around to face Severus Snape, the man responsible for making Charlie hate Potions. She struggled to keep her face decidedly not-red, willing the peach color of her sheeks to stay. "I-"

"Tonks! There you are!"

A pair of students hurried down the corridor, saving Tonks from coming up with an excuse. The relieved speaker waved happily. She was flushed, pink beneath her mess of dark red hair – but there were few times when Ami's pale skin didn't redden. One of Tonks's housemates followed, the warm brown of her face brightened by her wide smile.

Snape looked unimpressed. "Miss Bastion, Miss Plair, are you also looking for business with the headmaster?"

Malia broke in, even though Snape looked about to issue a second, snider sentence. "No, sir. I just asked Tonks to wait for me here because I forgot my school bag in the Great Hall and sometimes it's hard to meet up with people again with the staircases and all."

Snape opened his mouth, but Ami burst forward, grabbing her two friends by the arms. "And I'm stealing them, sorry, sir!" She smiled genuinely up at Snape. "Malia promised to help me and Professor Kettleburn settle down the Jarveys and we could use all the help we can get and you know how those little buggers are so we have _got_ to rush off. Thanks, Professor Snape! See you tomorrow morning!"

Ami yanked on both arms and turned the trio around, heading to the stairs so quickly that her heavy footsteps and the billowing of their cloaks covered whatever mutter came from Snape. She had gone even redder, but was laughing by the time they got to the bottom step.

Tonks glanced over her shoulder. "Thanks for getting me away from Snape without another detention – but what if he swoops in on Chuck?"

"Charlie will be fine," Ami said, still leading the girls by the arms through the foyer. "Professor Kettleburn already sent a message to Professor Dumbledore that Charlie's needed downstairs immediately after their meeting. And, really, Professor Snape isn't some swooping bat! He's not scary at all for the folks who actually go to the class – and he has way more reason to hate me than either of you."

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Wh-"

"But you two really have to be more careful," Ami interrupted, going a deeper shade of red, speaking as always in her fast, breathless pace. "We're not even a month into the year!"

Tonks took the new fork in the conversation. "Maybe another lecture will get it set in his head."

"What about your head?" Malia said in a chipper voice, casting a grin to her housemate. 

"I was going to be on time to Herbology!"

"Who would have thought a prefect would be such a bad influence?" Ami asked with a chuckle. 

"Any of us," Tonks said, and the laughter of all three girls echoed in the settling night.

"Well, let's hurry and earn you some brownie points with Sprout." Ami finally let go of her two friends. "Ready to learn some new oaths? Pa sent me a letter with some interesting phrases from the Jarveys back home."

Tonks raised her eyebrows. "If it tops what Chuck said earlier, I'll be impressed."

"Then prepare to be impressed," Ami said as they approached the paddock. Professor Kettleburn stood unsteadily on the edge of the paddock, a far cry from his usual solid demeanor.

One of the Jarveys had managed to steal his wooden leg.

Ami gasped and hurried forward, leaning over the paddock. Tonks ran forward to try and tug the leg loose, while Malia kept the professor steady.

The three Jarveys wrestling with one end of the leg snarled unintelligible words at Tonks. She grunted and pulled and dug her feet into the ground, but the three creatures' combined strength matched hers.

Ami took a deep breath, then launched into a tirade full of creatively combined words, some innocent on their own and some terrible, that made Charlie's statement earlier seem tame. Ami herself went as darkly red as her hair, the change visible even in the fading light. She concluded with a series of clicks, like Charlie had, and then a high-pitched growl.

The Jarveys wrestling with Tonks had started to give some slack when Ami started, but at the growl, they whimpered and released the leg, sending the pink-haired Hufflepuff tumbling backward. A strong body kept her from hitting the dirt. Charlie stood behind her, arms encircling her gently.

"Easy there, Nym," he said with a grin.

"Och, ruddy creatures," Kettleburn growled, walking to Tonks with help from Malia. The two Hufflepuffs helped Kettleburn reattach his leg, though he grumbled under his breath about needing to see Professor Babbling about the leg. The old witch who taught Study of Ancient Runes also had a keen eye for woodcarving and had made both of his wooden limbs.

"Seems like I arrived a bit too late to be anyone's knight," Charlie said with an exaggerated sigh once Tonks left his grasp. "These lectures are getting longer and longer."

"That's because you're a prefect now, Charlie!" Ami exclaimed, then added in a few swears not directed at her fellow redhead, eyes never leaving the Jarveys. "The lectures are going to be monsters until they take your badge away."

Malia straightened, stowing away her wand. Kettleburn's leg was perfectly reattached. "Not to mention _every_ fifth year is told to be a 'good example' to the younger years. See, we got a lecture, too, thanks to you both missing half of Herbology." She stuck her tongue out for a moment. "I know they say sharing is caring, but share something nicer next time!"

"I do appreciate your taking care of the Jarveys earlier, though," Kettleburn said, the edge gone from his voice now. "It was a big help. I got caught up after class getting me own lecture from Filch about students tracking in mud from the lake."

"Despite the three lectures, it wasn't any trouble," Charlie said. Tonks finally looked back to him. He had unclasped his robes and undone his tie, and looked ready to change out of his uniform already. "What got them all so spooked?"

Kettleburn sighed. "I wish I knew. I was just going to make sure I had everything locked up and they were bouncing off the cage, going absolutely crazy. I tried to assert, but they were more aggressive than they've ever been, furry buggers." He eyed them, but they were still under Ami's influence.

Ami, for her part, was slowly lowering her voice, though the soft tones did not match the vile words. They chattered quietly in return, voices getting lower and less understandable until they had all curled up amongst one another and quieted entirely. Ami sighed and took a step back, shaking her head. "Well, glad Pa sent me that letter when he did."

"Ah, yes, thank you, Miss Bastion."

Ami waved one hand. "I call someone else being the foul-mouth next time, though. It is decidedly not my favorite thing."

"Not it. Give me a good debate any day," Tonks said.

"An outlet to say whatever I want with no points taken away for being improper?" Malia perked up. "Count me in! Do these beasties count as extra credit, Professor Kettleburn?"

"'Course they do, you're learning real-world experience with 'em," Kettleburn replied. "Hopefully five keepers do a better job than three."

"Club Jarvey Jugglers is a go!" Tonks exclaimed happily. Everyone looked to her, confusion clear across their brows.

"Jugglers?" Charlie asked.

Tonks strugged. "First J word I could think of."

"We could just go for Club Jarvey Wranglers and call it a night," Malia offered. Then she drew up to her full height, looking down at the others. "And I mean literally call it a night. We _all_ have an essay due to Snape tomorrow."

The four muttered agreements, not looking forward to the homework they imagined was given by spite. Charlie was certain Snape hadn't given that assignment to his Ravenclaw and Slytherin class. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, guys," he said. "Pretty sure that essay was my fault."

Tonks slugged him in the shoulder. "It was definitely your fault! Maybe our plight will make you learn your lesson!"

"And Jarveys will be polite," Ami scoffed. "But I guess we should get to writing. Good night, Professor Kettleburn!"

Goodnights were bid all around, and the four students headed back to the castle. They separated at the grand staircase. Tonks watched as Ami grabbed Charlie's arm, yanking him up the stairs faster, always impatient and willing to drag everyone to hurry them up. Then she and Malia went, at a much more leisurely pace, to their barrels, knocking the correct combination and joining their classmates in lamenting the surprise essay.


End file.
